Community Oven Aims to Serve More Than Food

By Brittany Givens

Hampton Union, March 20, 2012

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]

HAMPTON -- Shane Pine wants to bring a new kind of dining experience to the Hampton area with his brick oven flatbread pizza restaurant, The Community Oven, scheduled to open March 31.

The name Community Oven is exactly what Pine wants it to be: community and family oriented.

"I want to support the community by not only buying local," Pine said, "but also trying to participate in anything the community is doing that I can get involved in."

Pine wanted to keep everything local while creating his restaurant. All the furniture is from Abode in Portsmouth, Imagewise in Hampton Falls is used for all of his products, and the insurance is from Bean Insurance Agency in Hampton.

"I really believe that for a restaurant, it's a family thing," Pine said. "As a family thing, you kinda want the community to support what you are. You try to support what they're doing."

Pine hopes that the restaurant and menu can bring something new to the Hampton area, which he hopes will become a destination place like Downtown Portsmouth.

The Community Oven will have two separate areas: a family dining area and a bar that cannot be seen in the dining area.

The menu will feature brick oven flatbread pizzas, including two unique pizzas: an all organic pizza and a local products pizza.

Along with a 56-foot pizza bar in front of the brick oven, a kid-friendly draft root beer bar will also be available.

In the bar area, there will be high-tops as well as an outdoor patio area. Pine will have 16 craft beers on tap, including Blue Lobster Brew, a new brewery that will be opening soon next to the Community Oven.

"We're gonna be working together," Pine said. "I'm gonna serve his beer over here and I'll cater some events that go on over there. You come here, you've got a little bit of wait, you can walk next door and sample some of his beer while you wait."

Pine is bringing his restaurant back to where he started in the restaurant business 23 years ago. His first job, which was at Newick's, which formerly occupied the same location as The Community Oven.

"It was weird at first," Pine said, "but everything fell into place. It's been amazing. Between the town, the trades people that I've worked with, interviewing 170 people, it's just been really great."

The Community Oven will also generate new jobs. Pine wasn't expecting 170 applicants.

"I'm happy to employ 45 employees in town," Pine said. "Try to get some income back into the community."

AT A GLANCE
The Community Oven opens March 31Owner: Shane PineAddress: 845 Lafayette Road, HamptonPhone: 601-6311Web: The Community Oven is on Facebook